


Experiment_No_15

by tatertotarmy



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Black 2 & White 2 | Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Versions
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 09:27:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20225569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatertotarmy/pseuds/tatertotarmy
Summary: During a round of experiments, Colress is interrupted by a summons to see Ghetsis.Written for the Pokemon Villains Zine.





	Experiment_No_15

“Are you really sure you should be doing this, Dr. Colress?”

Colress didn’t look up from his arm as he adjusted a metallic, cylindrical gauntlet wrapped around his arm, “I don’t think there is any reason to worry. Is the recording ready to go?”

“Yes, it is, but still - ”

“Then it looks like we are ready,” Colress paid the Plasma grunt no mind, pressing a button on the gauntlet, watching as a few lights flickered on along the edge of the gauntlet. He then looked up to a steel metal door, a low growl emanating from the other side. Beside him, the Plasma grunt stiffened, then sighed, walking up to the door and gripping the handle. There was a pause, like the Plasma grunt was waiting for Colress to change his mind, but after several seconds he acquiesced, turning the doorknob and opening the door to allow Colress inside.

On the other side was a small, sterile room lined on all sides with cold, steel plates. And while everything inside shined like it was freshly cleaned, there was damage evident in every corner. Deep scratches along the wall. A crack or two in the floor. One light on the ceiling with a small crack in the glass. All evidence of thorough research, in Colress’ opinion, though his attention was mainly drawn to a small creature in the corner of the room.

An Eevee, teeth bared and growling at the new visitor. Just the newest subject in testing, and one that, fortunately, had no bonds with humans. Just a pure wild Pokemon, a perfect candidate for the control group of his research.

Behind him, the door shut, leaving him alone for the time being. Colress looked to the side, looking in the general direction of where he knew the camera would be.

“Experiment number fifteen,” Colress spoke, before looking back at the Pokemon, “Subject is a wild Eevee found in the Unova Region. Upon thorough study, subject displays average characteristics for its species and is a candidate for the control group. Subject has also had little human interference prior to testing, both negative and positive.”

He adjusted his gauntlet, taking several steps forward. The Eevee merely growled louder and louder. Colress merely kept his expression steady, emotionless as the Eevee’s fur puffed out more and more, mouth opening wider and wider.

And then, the Eevee snapped forward. Colress immediately held out his gauntlet, letting the Eevee bite right into it.

Colress stood there for a moment, and then looked at the edge of the gauntlet, “First attack has a force of 157 pounds.” He then shook off the Eevee, allowing it to rear back to make another attack. And another. All the while Colress announcing each result from his gauntlet, occasionally commenting on any particular strategy the Eevee was using.

But, unfortunately, after the fifth bite, Colress heard the door open behind him.

A mixture of confusion and frustration crossed his expression, looking back to see a Plasma grunt gesturing him to return. And he sighed, walking through the door and allowing the door to shut behind him. On the other side, he could hear the Eevee begin to claw at the walls.

“I believe I told you that I would prefer ten results at minimum from each round of testing I do,” Colress looked at the Plasma grunt, his expression soon relaxing despite his frustrations - complications often arose during research, after all, “Is there something the matter?”

“Lord Ghetsis has summoned you.”

Any relaxation in his face hardened into a whisper of a frown, though his voice still rang pleasant, “Oh? Did he tell you the reason?”

“Only that you were to report right away.”

Funny how he was being summoned like this, even as the “leader” of Team Plasma.

“Well, if it’s like that, then I won’t keep him waiting,” Colress unstrapped the gauntlet from his arm, handing it off to the grunt, “Make sure to save the recording. Even if it wasn’t as large of a sample as I wanted, it still should prove useful.”

“Of course, Dr. Colress.”

Colress gave the grunt a small smile, and then began walking out the main experimentation room. All the while, the pleasant smile on his face soon fell into a neutral line on his lips. Colress considered himself to be a pleasant person. However...when it came to that man, he could feel that demeanor start to slip. Of course, interruptions like this - as frequent as they were - did not help things one bit.

After all, Colress had been declared the leader of Team Plasma. Though it appears that Ghetsis still intended to lead from the shadows, treating him like a dog on a leash.

It wasn’t something Colress exactly took kindly to.

He took his time through the ship, taking every moment to check ever little thing he came across as he stepped by. New test subjects growling in cages – making sure there was little interference from the grunts to ensure optimal results. Letters and reports received from around the Unova region, reporting on the current search for Kyurem, the movements of the police and the other faction of Team Plasma, and other minor inconveniences that he honestly only looked over to draw out one, two, three more minutes of peace. But unfortunately, even the long way around the ship didn’t last forever, and it didn’t take long until Colress found himself standing outside the doorway to his chambers.

He paused, constructing a perfect smile, and stepped forward, allowing the door to easily slide open, letting himself be known loud and clear.

Colress looked around his room – clean, pristine, organized – and soon found the very man he dreaded sitting right at his desk, holding a false prominence like he actually owned the scientist’s domain. Ghetsis – a slovenly, deteriorating figure hunched over one of Colress’ many research notebooks – immediately looked up at Colress, a grimace clear on his face.

“You’re late.”

Colress stood there for a moment before a light, airy chuckle left him, stepping further into the room as the door slid shut behind him, “I must apologize. Unfortunately, maintaining an organization such as this takes quite a bit of time.”

“Maintaining an organization I allowed you to lead.” Ghetsis slammed the book shut and slowly rose up to his feet, imposing dark robes flowing behind and greatly exaggerating the form he actually held beneath. “Do you forget what our goal is?”

Funny. Colress believed he was pursuing his own goals quite well.

“I have not,” Colress merely smiled, striding on over without a single ounce of fear within him, “Though I believe that I have been filling the waiting periods between the search with very fulfilling tasks.”

Ghetsis scoffed, “You mean wasting time.”

If Colress was a much less mature man, he would have frowned. Well, if Ghetsis had picked him up years earlier, he might have gotten some sort of reaction. Maybe grabbed hold of a fray to unravel him, to manipulate and dangle him down by like the puppet he oh-so desired. After all, Ghetsis could only do that. Grasp onto ambition through the thin strings of a marionette, just assuming that the strings were made of diamond rather than thin fishing wire that could snap at any moment. Was that not what happened to the previous leader of Team Plasma? Dangled on by puppet strings that splintered into dust?

How pathetic, that Ghetsis would attempt to do such a thing to Colress as well.

“Would you rather me sit around twiddling my thumbs?” An empty chuckle passed through Colress’ lips, a perfect smile practically sewn onto his face. “I would have thought you’d be proud, given all this time I’ve spent into perfecting the prize you so wish to acquire. If you so desire Kyurem, then why not ensure that it holds the best power it can wield? To unlock its true potential?”

“I hardly see how that begins with those pathetic creatures you keep bringing in,” Ghetsis brought out his cane from beneath his robes and slowly walked around the desk, agonizingly slow, like an old man about to crumble to dust, “We are going to capture Kyurem. That will be all we need.”

“If you so desire Kyurem, then why not assist in the search yourself?”

“Are you saying that you can’t find it yourself?” Ghetsis practically hissed the words, “Maybe I made a mistake in appointing you.”

Made a mistake in appointing anyone with a functioning brain cell, to be honest.

Colress just stared at Ghetsis for a moment, a clever smile spreading out on his face. And one clear thought rang through his thoughts.

Colress hated him.

Ghetsis, and people like him. People who had ambition. Who had ideals and goals and something that they desperately wanted to grasp no matter the cost – no matter how good or evil or insane it was. People who had all of that…but didn’t even make an inch in grasping at that goal with their own two hands. People who would rather sit back and wait while someone else did all of the hard work, the toil, the pain, the sacrifice…just so they could enjoy the glory of the end goal. To selfishly have their dreams without working a single day in their life. And to also have the audacity to whine and scream whenever their plans weren’t going exactly as they wanted it to be. All because they were allowing their dreams to be ran by someone else.

As a scientist and a man, it was something Colress despised. He had a clear goal. A hypothesis to prove right or wrong. To find what strove Pokemon to unlock their full potential. And it was something he would do anything for.

And he was.

He opened his mouth, a smooth, even voice coming out, masking his thoughts, “You made no mistake. I can ensure you that I will do everything in my power to find it.”

Research needed money. It needed a sponsor.

“It’s a promise I certainly intend to keep to you, Lord Ghetsis.”

There were necessary methods to conduct that were less than ethical. In order to test what drew out their full potential, horrible methods needed to be proven right or wrong. Tests that could only take place in a deplorable place such as this. Not in a proper laboratory.

“Though if you are worried, I could go out personally and…advance our search.”

So, this he would do. Colress could lie a little. Move forward other agendas in his spare time. Live with the most deplorable person trying to pull at invisible puppet strings. Just so long as he got what he wanted.

And at the end of the day, that was all Colress cared about.

Ghetsis still looked at him with scrutiny, before grumbling and continuing to walk towards the door, “I won’t tolerate failure.”

Colress merely chuckled, not even bothering to look back at him, “You needn’t worry.”

Because failure was the least Ghetsis should be worrying about.

The door opened and closed behind him, and Colress wordlessly walked towards his desk, flipping through several of the notes and books lying on the table. A book about the strange radio signal that overtook the Johto region…notes on the bonds between humans and Pokemon in relation to growth…illegally obtained research on the Shadow Pokemon of the Orre Region…strange stones currently being researched in the Kalos region. All notes on phenomena that potentially unlocked a Pokemon’s true potential. All phenomena that needed to be tested in some way.

Perhaps…it was time for some on the ground research. To at least step out of the lab. To step away from Ghetsis’ mania for a little while. And potentially research the bonds of humans and Pokemon.

Colress paused for a moment, another smile crossing his lips as he went to pack his belongings.

And imagined just when he could finally be rid of that deplorable man.


End file.
